Zoology Book of Animals

For our field trips to the zoos and other animal locations, the girls have taken photos.  I needed a way for them to be able to display their photos and the information they have learned about each animal.  Because of this, I came up with the idea of making a scrapbook notebook. 

Jaden and Morgan are doing this on their own.  They are putting together scrapbook pages with their own cutting and pasting skills.  They are even putting "fact boxes" on each page to note what they have learned.  I like that it is all done with their hands.  They will enjoy looking at it in a few years when they have progressed. 

I have a scrapbook bag that I am toting with us to various libraries.  All of the scrap booking is happening at the library where we have books about the animals close at hand.  This is a great addition to their Zoology text!!

Girl Scouts Daisy: 3 Cheers for Animals Part 6

Never miss an opportunity to include events- movie, exhibits, festivals, etc. in your home school or girl scout events!  We are anxiously awaiting the release of Chimpanzee!  It is coming out on April 20th, so we will be there =)  In the meantime, we have been learning about primates and the professionals who work with them. 

Also, if you are an Amazon prime subscriber, you have access to National Geographic, Animal Planet, and other great instant videos for FREE!!  These can be educational or just for fun.  You may, also, purchase videos to watch.  One of our favorites that we watched this week was "A Dolphin Tale" and "Escape to Chip Eden". 

In addition, I have found magazines to be an invaluable resource!  National Geographic Kids and Zoobooks are ones we are using for Zoology and learning about animals in a fun way. 

As part of Morgan's Daisy adventure, she has been taking care of her chihuahua Chica.  She has fixed Chica's bed, fed her, given her fresh water, and playing with her to give her exercise. 

This was a fun Daisy journey~ So glad you could join us!

Girl Scouts Daisy: 3 Cheers for Animals Part 5

These are some of the animals we saw at the Fort Worth Zoo on Homeschool day.  They had zookeeper chats that we took advantage of as well.

Girl Scouts Daisy: 3 Cheers for Animals Part 4

These are just a few of the animals we saw at the Dallas Zoo on 2 seperate visits.  We fed some of the animals including the goats, birds and giraffes.  Many of the trainers were available, so both Jaden and Morgan were able to ask them questions about the animals.  The trainers of the big cats, elephants, giraffes, birds and goats were all available.
They tried to figure out on their own whether a particular animal was a predator or prey. 
They took note of what the animal eats and how they live at the zoo. 
Overall, the two visits were rewarding academically.  Many of the things that they learned led to further discussion at home in their Zoology class.
I was surprised to hear Jaden talking to the keeper of the goats on both trips.  Jaden noticed that there were some young kids helping out at the zoo- feeding and cleaning up after the animals.  It turns out, they are volunteers.  The keeper told Jaden that you have to be 11 years old to volunteer, and some days you may clean up poop during your whole 4 hour shift.  Jaden was excited, and she asked me if she could be a volunteer when she is 11. 
Later in our Zoology class, the text told us that there are only a few veterinary schools, so it can be difficult to get into them.  However, if a potential students has experience working with animals there is a higher chance they will be accepted.  =)

Girl Scouts Daisy: 3 Cheers for Animals Part 3

                                      (Jaden took all of the photos above)
Looking for wonderful animal advetures, we found a great spring break animal camp.  Here the ladies of the animal museum did a 1 hour presentation on a few local animals.  It was interesting learning about the owl, opossum, rabbit, and snake.   
Both girls grabbed and soaked up a bunch of facts!!  This was very important, not only for the Daisy journey, but, also, for adding to the homeschool science class- "Zoology: Animals of the 6th Day"
At the end of the field trip, they each filled out a field trip form about what they learned, what they saw, and their favorite part of the trip.  I enjoyed hearing them recall the facts and the good times they had! 
There is another spring break animal camp presentation tomorrow, so we will be at that one as well. 
This will be a fun year of learning about animals!